Catch-up

Mediterranean Gull - Mudbank.

Extremely quiet of late, as to be expected in the run up to Christmas. A Snipe, 2 Stonechats and a Chiffchaff were in the top fields this afternoon. The Whimbrel is still showing brilliantly in Duckpond and off Mudbank - a Mediterranean Gull with at least 3 Chiffchaffs, 3 Goldcrests and a Firecrest in scrub there.

20/12 - 31 Great Crested Grebes off Mudbank and 1+ Firecrest along Madeira Walk.

16/12 - 1 Siberian Chiffchaff still along Madeira Walk, behind the Pavillions.

The 'Duckpond' Whimbrel continues its winter residence.

Casp Gull

A distant first-winter Caspian Gull present on Cockle Sands for well over an hour this morning before flying towards the town at 1040. Quite possibly the bird seen at the Warren yesterday.  Also 7 Greenshank, 3 Teal and 2 Kingfishers.

LCT

Field sketches of the Lesser Crested Tern sat on Cockle Sands this morning. Now firmly in Exmouth waters. I picked it up flying over the sands at around 1035 and then roosting alongside a Common Gull a few minutes later. Also on Cockle Sands - 25 Sanderling and 17 Bar-tailed Godwits. An earlier look at the top fields on Orcombe produced c20 Skylarks, 10+ Meadow Pipits and 1 Snipe.

Yesterday off Shelly Beach - the Lesser Crested Tern (over towards Cockwood corner when not at the Warren) and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers along with two Kingfishers. The Whimbrel was again in the Duckpond.

Lesser Crested Tern!

The bird seemed to like this distant buoy. In all the time I was scoping it, it left once and did two laps of the 'bite', catching a fish on it's second round  but too distant and often out of sight to be sure of the rump colour.

Returned home from work, late afternoon, to messages about a Royal/West African Crested Tern off Cockwood. Initially seen from the Stuart Line boat and almost certainly the bird that was on the Axe a couple days ago. I shot down to Shelly Beach and soon picked it up, sat on a buoy, way off somewhere between Cockwood and the Warren. The light wasn't great but it didn't look too much like the chunky Royals I was watching in the summer. It wasn't too big a surprise then (though I'm certainly not suggesting I could have positively id'd it from that distance) to see that it's been reidentified as Lesser Crested Tern - a brand new bird for me! Hope it sticks around...

Sketch of the bird sat on it's chosen buoy. Remarkably this is the second record for the lower Exe. The first was before I did my very first twitch (the 1986 Berry Head Gyr) in 1985 I believe.

Purple Sands

Male Cirl Bunting - Imperial recreation ground.

Two Purple Sandpipers with four Turnstones on Maer Rocks first thing this morning. A Red-throated Diver and 3 Shelduck headed into the bay.

Mudbank - 5 Greenshank, 12 Great Crested Grebes, 3+ Chiffchaffs and 2 or 3 Firecrests. Nearby the Whimbrel still in the Duckpond and the pair of Cirl Buntings on the Imperial recreation ground with at least 2 Meadow Pipits.

West Lodge - c5+ Redwings, c30+ Siskins, 2 Chiffchaffs, 1 Stonechat and 1 Sparrowhawk.

30/11 - Madeira Walk - 2 Firecrests and 2 Chiffchaffs. Mudbank - 1 Cetti's Warbler, 4+ Chiffchaffs and 2 Firecrests.

Stonechat - West Lodge.

 The Whimbrel continues to show well in the Duckpond.